Metal bending machine



April 14, 1942. R. v. CARTER 2,279,654

METAL BENDING MACHINE Filed Jan. 21, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor 22%6 Car /e7 W Attorney April 1 R. v. CARTER 2,279,654

METAL BENDING MACHINE Filed Jan. 21, '1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I In ventor Patented Apr. 14, 1942 METAL BENDING MACHINE Ralph Vernon Carter, Half Moon Bay, Calif. Application January 21, 1941, Serial No. 375,332

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a metal bending machine, the general object of the invention being to provide means for bending sheet metal to a great variety of shapes and forms by means of a simple interchanging of parts, with means whereby the machine will automatically adjust itself to the various gauges of metal.

This invention also consists in certain other features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts to be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings where in like characters denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which: 1

Figure 1 is a front view of the machine with the parts in inoperative position.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view through Figure 1, this figure showing the parts in inoperative position in full lines and in bending position in dotted lines.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of a strip of metal bent by the machine.

Figure 5 is a front view of an insert having an opening in its front.

Figure 6 is a top plan view of this insert.

Figures '7 and 8 are views of another form of the insert, the latter view showing in dotted lines a member formed by bending metal by this insert.

Figure 9 is a front view.

Figure 10 is a top plan view of another form of the insert.

Figure 11 is a top plan view of another form of bending lever.

In these views the numeral I indicates'a base member supported on the supporting member 2 which may be of any suitable form and the numeral 3 indicates a bending lever which is hinged at one side edge to the top of the base member I as shown at 4. A handle 5 is removably connected with the opposite side edge of the lever 3 by having a part fitting in a socket in the opposite side edge of the lever so that the lever can be swung from the position shown in full lines in Figure 3 to the dotted line position of this figure, the latter position being the bending position of the lever.

A pair of substantially inverted L-shaped brackets 6 have the lower ends of the long arms thereof fastened to the rear of the base member l with the short arms extending in spaced relation above the base I and the lower edge of each short arm is beveled downwardly and rearwardly as shown at I and the upper portions of the inner edges of the long arms of the brackets are also beveled inwardly and'rearwardly asshown at 8. Aninsert member is shown at 9. and has its end portions beveled at its rear side edge inwardly and rearwadly as shown at M and II and its'front end portion has its top portion reduced in thickness-as shown at I2 with the top of its rear end portion beveled downwardly and rearwardly as shown at l3. The beveled portions l0 and II of the'insert will, of course, engage the bevels 8 at the front edges of the long arms of the brackets while the bevel I3 will engage the bevel I of the rear of the bracket and the insert is held in place by a wedge M which is pressed between the short arm of the front bracket and the reduced. part l2 of the insert.

The strip 15 of the metal to be bent has one edge portion placed between the insert and the top of the base member I, as shown in Figure 3,

with a portion of the strip passing over the upper edge of the lever 3; Then by swinging the lever upwardly the adjacent side edge thereof will force the'strip upwardly as shown in dotted lines in Figure 3 so that the strip will be bent to provide a flange l6 as shown in Figure 4. The beveling of the parts will make them automatically adjust themselves to the various gauges of metal to be bent, for the thicker the metal, the farther the insert will be to'the left, as viewed in Figure '1, as the insert will not only rise but it will also move backwardly exactly the same distance, thus giving the bending lever clearance to bend the metal up against the insert. The insert shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 is formed with a beveled projection IT at the lower portion of its front part which cooperates with the lever 3 in bending the metal but these inserts can be made ofvarious shapes and forms though each n I one must be provided with the reduced front end [2 and the bevels I ll, II and I3. Also, different forms of bending levers can be used, that shown in Figure 11 at 3' being provided with the notches l3 so that this lever will bend out certain portions of the metal and leave other portions flat. Bending levers are interchangeable by removing the hinge pins and the one handle may be used on all bending levers.

As before stated different forms of the inserts can be provided for the machine so'that the metal can be bent into a great variety of forms.

For instance, Figures 5 and 6 show an insert formed with an opening a into which the bent portions of the metal can be placed while other portions are being bent and Figures '7 and 8 show an insert formed with a substantially triangular-shaped projection 22 over which portions of the previously bent metal can be placed so that other bends can be made therein while Figures 9 and 10 show a small projection 0 projecting from the front of the insert. The recesses, projections or other parts vary-in size and shape on different inserts or they may be parts of one insert and interchangeable. For instance, the

projection b or c which contacts the metal can I made in the construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts provided that such changes fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described the claimed as new is:

1. In a metal bending machine, a base, a bend ing lever having one side edge hinged to the top of the base at the front thereof, a handle on the lever, brackets extending upwardly from the rear of the base and having forwardly extending portions, the under edges of the forwardly extending portions and the front edges of the upper portions of the vertical arms of the brackets having beveled portions and an insert member adapted to be placed between the base and the forwardly extending portions and having sloping parts on its top and rear walls for engaging sloping parts of the brackets, all the beveled or sloping parts sloping in the same direction, longitudinally of the device whereby the insert will automatically adjust itself by longitudinal and rearward movements to the various gauges of metal placed between the insert and the top of the base and bent by upward movement of the lever. I

2. In. a metal bending machine, a base, a bending lever having one side edge hinged to the top of the base at the front thereof, a handle on the lever, brackets extending upwardly from the rear of the base and having forwardly ex tending portions, the under edges of the forwardly extending portions and the front edges of the upper portions of the vertical arms of the brackets having beveled portions and an insert member adapted to be placed between the base and the forwardly extending portions and havinvention, what is ing sloping parts on its top and rear walls for engaging sloping parts of the brackets, all the beveled or sloping parts sloping in the same direction, longitudinally of the device whereby the insert will automatically adjust itself by longitudinal and rearward movement to the various gauges of metal placed between the insert and the top of the base and bent by upward movement of the lever, and means for holding the insert in position.

3. In a metal bending machine, a base, a bending lever having one side edge hinged to the top of the base at the front thereof, a handle on the lever, brackets extending upwardly from the rear of the base and having forwardly extending portions, the under edges of the forwardly extending portions and the front edges of the upper portions of the vertical arms of the brackets having beveled portions and an insert member adapted to be placed between the base and the forwardly extending portions and having sloping parts on its top and rear walls for engaging sloping parts of the brackets, all the beveled or sloping parts sloping in the same direction, longitudinally of the device whereby the insert will automatically adjust itself by longitudinal and rearward movement to the various gauges of metal placed between the insert and the top of the base and bent by upward movement of the lever, and means for holding the insert in position, said means including a wedge placed between the forward part of one bracket and engaging a top portion of the insert.

4. In a metal bending machine, a base, a bending lever having one side edge hinged to the top of the base at the front thereof, said hinge means including removable parts whereby one lever can be substituted for another, a handle detachably connected with the lever, brackets rising from the rear part of the base and having forwardly extending parts, the under edges of said forwardly extending parts sloping downwardly and rearwardly and the front edges of the upper portions of the vertical arms of the brackets sloping inwardly and rearwardly, interchangeable inserts, each of which is adapted to be placed between the base and the forwardly extending parts of the brackets and each insert having portions provided with sloping portions on its rear wall which slopes rearwardly and inwardly and conforming to the sloping parts of the upper parts of the vertical arms of the brackets, and the rear end portion of each insert having its upper edge sloping downwardly and rearwardly to conform to the slope of the under edge of the forwardly extending portion of the rear bracket, the other end portion of each insert having its top part provided with a recess and a wedge adapted to be placed between the forward extending part of the front bracket and the wall of said recess to removably hold the insert in position.

RALPH V. CARTER. 

